


Whisper

by ORiley42



Series: Smallville Episodes: the Clex Edition [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Feelings, First Kiss, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, M/M, idk its a 'i think this should have been a thing' fic, more of an episode tag maybe, s3e10, whisper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 08:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4997101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ORiley42/pseuds/ORiley42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Clark/Lex face-touching scene that didn't actually happen in Whisper but definitely should have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whisper

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during S3E10 "Whisper" - Clark is temporarily blind, and Lex comes to visit him. This much is canon, what follows is, alas, not. This will probably be part of an on-going series of fix-it/episode tag sort of things, because basically every time I watch in episode of Smallville, especially s3, I immediately think of all the slashy potential that was tragically lost, and am inspired to fix it/add to it, etc. This is my first Smallville fic, I hope you enjoy it! <3  
> PS - Clark is probably canonically like 17 here, but let's just assume he's 18 so we don't have the questionable underage thing, yeah?

“Clark, I…I don’t know what to say.”

“How about ‘hello’?” Clark smiled as brightly as he could, hoping it would dissuade Lex from any further mention of Clark’s…condition. Clark was too busy willing himself not to freak out; he didn’t have it in him to calm anyone else down.

But he shouldn’t have worried. Lex was his usual cool and collected self, settling down next to Clark on the couch, like they were about to have one of the many, ordinary chats they had had up in Clark’s loft.

“Hello, then.” There was a beat of silence, and Clark heard the shuffle of fabric as Lex rearranged his coat – most likely one of those long, black, flowing deals that cost more than Clark’s entire wardrobe and would’ve looked ridiculous on anyone else. But somehow, Lex always managed to pull it off. Clark was seized with a desire to reach out and run his fingers along the coat, feel the heavy material and be assured that all was as it should be, even if he couldn’t see it.

“So,” Lex continued in a matter of fact tone, “I feel it is my duty as your friend to ask: do you wanna talk about it?”

“I really don’t.” A moment ago Clark would have meant it, but as the words fell off his tongue they felt like a lie.

“Hmm.” Lex paused a minute, suspicion heavy in his voice. Apparently he could spot Clark’s dishonesty even when Clark didn’t recognize it himself. “You sure about that?”

No, Clark wasn’t sure, and he suddenly couldn’t help blurting out, “I’ve been blind for less than a day and I already feel like I can't remember what anything looks like.”

“Well, then,” Clark started at the sharp noise of Lex clapping his hands together, “let's start re-familiarizing you with the world. What's something that you don’t remember, but would like to? Something important that you wouldn’t want to forget?”

“How about… you?” Clark suggested with a grin, only half joking. It would be a tragedy if he forgot what Lex looked like.

Lex chuckled lightly, and Clark relaxed a little more.

“Yeah, sure, me. In your mind’s eye, what do you see?”

“Well…I seem to remember you having a distinct lack of…”

“If you say hair, Clark, I don’t care that you’re blind I’ll kick your–”

“ _Tact_.”

Now Lex was really laughing.

“Actually Lex, what I remember most at this moment is that tiny scar on your, your top lip…I, uh…” Clark fought a blush as it hit him how creepy that must’ve sounded, “I mean, that’s kind of weird, I know…”

“No, Clark, it’s fine. Really. Do you want to…” Lex trailed off, and Clark wished for the thousandth time that day that he could see, so he could read in Lex’s face and body language what he’d been about to say.

“What, Lex? Do I want to what?” Clark asked in a significantly more frustrated tone than he’d intended.

“Do you, want to, uh, touch? I know that with the blind, it’s very normal to touch someone’s face so you can sort of, mentally map out what they look like.”

“Oh.” Clark tilted his head, thinking about it. The upside: touching Lex’s face. Downside: ??? He was sure there _was_ a downside, but he was too excited at the prospect of finally (after an embarrassingly long period of crushing and pining) getting his hands on Lex’s sharp, elegant features to give a damn.

“Ok, yeah, let’s do it.” Clark raised his hands, trying not to look too eager, and failing rather spectacularly, he imagined. Lex huffed a laugh, and a moment later, Clark felt Lex’s slender fingers gently guiding his own to Lex’s face.

Lex’s skin was softer than he’d imagined. He’d always seemed a little rough, with harsh edges and a dark power behind his eyes, but now he felt tender and pliant under Clark’s tentative touch. Clark’s heart started to pound, and for a moment he thought that that was what he was hearing. But after a moment, he realized there was something off about the sound – it wasn’t in sync with his pulse. He almost dropped his hands as it hit him with a jolt that he was hearing _Lex’s_ heart. And it was thundering, getting a little faster with every passing moment.

Was Lex excited too? Or was he nervous? Uncomfortable? He hadn’t seemed uncomfortable. Clark’s brain sped through endless possibilities, building up to a good panic. Should he stop, now, before this spiraled out of control? He couldn’t seem to bring himself to do that.

Clark was careful as he slowly traced his fingers along Lex’s jaw, along his cheekbones, across his brow. He trailed his fingertips down the aquiline length of Lex’s nose. His palms ticked at the slow exhale from Lex’s mouth – one feature Clark was studiously avoiding, there being so much heart-pounding going on at the moment.

“What about my scar?” Lex asked, interrupting Clark’s internal crisis. “Aren’t you gonna check if it’s still there?” Clark couldn’t see a damn thing but he’d still bet the farm that Lex was smirking broadly right now.

More out of spite at Lex’s snark than his own courage, Clark slowly, deliberately dragged his fingers down Lex’s face, before gently running his thumb over the swell of Lex’s bottom lip, and then sweeping upwards, pressing gently at the subtle crevice settled into the deeper dip of his top lip.

“How did you get this anyway?” Clark asked distractedly, letting his fingers linger on Lex’s mouth.

“Uh…that’s uh, a pretty long story…not important now…” In all the time Clark had known him, Lex had always been well prepared with a smooth response but now... Lex’s heart sounded to be beating dangerously fast. Was Clark actually going to give him a heart attack? Clark tried not to feel totally thrilled at the prospect. Holy crap, he realized dizzily, who’d have thought being _blind_ would let me see what has been right in front of me the whole time?

“Lex,” Clark spoke before he could think too much about what he was saying, “what would you do if I kissed you right now?”

There. Lex’s heart did actually skip a beat as he froze under Clark’s touch. Clark ran through the words he’d just said and tried to remember how to breathe, as the seconds ticked by and Lex remained dangerously still. If Clark had misinterpreted…if his new power wasn’t actually working right…if he’d just _completely destroyed_ his relationship with his best friend…

“Well, I imagine I’d probably try and shake myself awake from the dream I’d clearly be having.”

Clark’s heart was the one skipping beats now. That was a positive thing, right? A, a…yes? God, was Lex actually allergic to straight answers? Ah, to hell with it, was Clark’s last coherent thought as he threw caution to the winds and leaned forward, misjudged the distance slightly, and sort of smashed their mouths together.

Luckily, after a few terrifying moments of non-response, Lex took the lead and reached up to softly tilt Clark’s face into a better position, sucking Clark’s plush bottom lip into his mouth. Clark let his hands wander down Lex’s neck and shoulders, coasting back across his collarbones and down along his chest. In a rush of courage he slipped his hands under Lex’s coat, sliding his arms around his back and pulling Lex tight to his front. Lex wrapped his arms more securely around Clark’s neck in response, humming happily.

Lex had both his hands tangled in Clark’s hair, and Clark was very busy licking his way into Lex’s mouth, quite intent on spending possibly the rest of his life exploring the terrain of Lex’s body when he heard a noise that thoroughly killed the romance of the moment – the familiar crunch of his father’s boots on the gravel outside the barn.

“Whoa, Lex, we gotta…uh…” Clark reared back, craning his neck to listen if Johnathan was heading towards the loft stairs.

“Hmm?” Lex murmured, swaying forward, following Clark’s movement.

“My dad’s coming, quick, just…he can’t see…” Clark stumbled over his words as his joy was bulldozed by terror at the thought of his dad seeing _this_. He might not be able to kill Clark, but he wouldn’t think twice about giving Lex both barrels of the shotgun hanging on the barn wall not thirty feet away.

“Of course,” Lex pulled away, his tone suddenly arctic, and Clark wanted to reach out and pull him closer again, but now even Lex could hear the clomp of shoes coming up the stairs.

“Hey, there,” John greeted them amicably, (far more amicably, Clark noted darkly, than he would have if he’d arrived just a tiny bit sooner) “Clark, how’re you doing?”

“Good, great!” Clark answered too quickly, silently berating himself as soon as he opened his mouth for his inability to lie convincingly – at least to his father.

“Good,” Johnathan agreed easily, not showing any signs of skepticism at Clark’s false cheer. Clark tried not to jump as he felt the sudden pressure of his dad giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder.

“We’re just…exploring some new avenues for Clark given his...recent changes,” Clark heard Lex pipe up from a few feet away. Clark’s back stiffened at the ominous undertones to Lex’s seemingly innocent comment. “Things won’t really be the same again.”

Clark couldn’t see his father’s reaction, but he must have been satisfied with what he saw since he just patted Clark’s shoulder once more before heading back for the stairs. “Well, if you need anything, just give a holler,” he called as he left.

“Will do!” Clark responded, his tone grateful more for his father’s mercifully quick departure than anything else.

Johnathan’s footsteps had hardly receded before Clark was struggling to his feet, reaching out for where he heard Lex’s not-so-steady pulse.

“Wow, Clark, your hearing is spectacular,” Lex noted coldly, swiftly sidestepping Clark’s searching hands.

“Well, you know those stories about how when you’re blind, your other senses pick up the slack,” Clark hedged.

Lex hmmed, and Clark wasn’t sure what Lex was thinking or feeling but he got the strong sense that it was nothing good. To stop Lex from pursuing whatever line of thought had him avoiding Clark’s touch, Clark rushed forward clumsily, grabbing at Lex’s chest until he got hold of his lapels, then dragging him in close for a crushing kiss.

Lex stumbled a bit, but then sank into the embrace, making a happy little sighing noise that Clark mentally filed away under “best things ever.”

Lex pulled back just enough that his lips ghosted against Clark’s when he spoke. “Thank _God_ , Clark, for a second there I thought you were about to say you regretted everything and toss me out on my heels.”

“Oh, Lex, that’s not…I would _never_ …it’s just my dad, I don’t know how to explain…not right now anyway…” Clark’s words were failing him, but he could feel Lex’s lips turning up in a smile.

“It’s alright, Clark, I don’t really mind being your dirty little secret, at least for the time being. It’s kind of…sexy.” Lex drawled the last word, his voice dipping deeper than usual and sparking a feeling like an electric charge down Clark’s body.

“Ah, ha, yeah…um…” Clark’s vocabulary deserted him entirely as all his mental energy became intensely focused on the progress of Lex’s fingers down, down, down his back, brushing over his belt…

“So, Clark…” Lex slid his mouth along Clark’s cheek as he moved to murmur delicately against the sensitive shell of his ear, “is there anything or, well, any _where_ else you want to…map out…with… _touch_?”

Clark’s cheeks burned with a heady combination of embarrassment and desire as a familiar flame lit behind his eyes and zoomed southwards, making his pants feel uncomfortably tight.

“I wish I could see you,” Clark blurted out the thought that was suddenly at the forefront of his mind, immediately regretting it as he realized he’d probably just wrecked the newly-reestablished romantic mood.

However, Lex didn’t respond with pity or annoyance or sadness or any of the negative reactions Clark expected. Instead, he hauled Clark in for a long, burning, possessive kiss that made Clark’s knees go weak faster than any Kryptonite could.

As they broke apart for breath, resting their foreheads together, Lex whispered hoarsely, “Clark, you are _seeing_ me more clearly than you, or anyone else ever has before. No matter if you’ve got your sight.” Lex wrapped his arms around Clark’s waist and buried his head under Clark’s chin. Clark felt tears suddenly pricking the corners of his eyes at how extraordinarily vulnerable a movement that was for Lex, prompting him to squeeze Lex so tightly he had to forcibly remind himself not to super-squash his best friend by accident.

“You’re seeing me as I…well, maybe not as I _truly_ am, but how I’d like to be,” Lex admitted in a voice so small it was nearly unrecognizable. “How I’d like to be with you…for you.”

Clark sniffed sharply to rein in any errant sobs that might be suddenly trying to escape, and tucked Lex more firmly into his arms.

“Well, then, Lex, you should know…I really like what I see.”

And a few hours later, the first thing Clark saw with his returning vision was the world’s most beautiful man smiling the world’s most beautiful smile – just for him.


End file.
